Group of 4 local men find missing Kauai hiker

Dohrman, 72, found off of Kaluapuhi Trail Monday morning

UPDATED 7:21 AM HST May 14, 2013

KOKEE, Hawaii -

A 72-year-old woman who was last seen hiking on Saturday in Kokee was found alive late Monday morning, according to Kauai County officials.

Pamela Wilcox Dohrman, 72, of Hanalei, was reported missing Saturday evening after she failed to return from a hike that afternoon. According to family members, she left her Kokee cabin at approximately 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Dohrman was found off the Kaluapuhi Trail by rescue crews at around 11:30 a.m. Officials say she has some signs of dehydration, but in good condition.

A group of four local men, who made up the ninth search team, took off on Kaluapuhi Trail mid-morning and began calling for the woman, according to fire officials. At around 11:30 a.m., Dohrman answered their calls.

She was found about a quarter-mile off the Kaluapuhi Trail in a densely vegetated area at the bottom of a roughly 100-foot cliff. The men took turns carrying the woman on their backs to bring her back up to the trail where they were met by rescuers, family and volunteers. From there, she was carried out on a backboard to the trail head where medics transported Dohrman to the Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital.

According to a preliminary report, Dohrman took off her normal hike through the Berry Flat Trail at around 2:30 p.m. Saturday, but after taking a side trail she became lost in an area of thick fern vegetation.

Dohrman stayed in that spot from Saturday night to keep from getting disoriented or injured. She was wearing a light hooded jacket and had a cell phone but no cell reception. She also had a backpack of snacks and some water that she rationed over the past two days.

Personnel from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Kauai Fire Department, the Kauai Police Department, and the Kauai Search and Rescue canine team searched Saturday evening and into the early morning hours on Sunday.

Roughly 65 searchers, including agency personnel, family members and volunteers, assisted when the search resumed at daybreak Sunday and was concluded at around 6:30 p.m.